Red spurfowl

The red spurfowl (Galloperdix spadicea) belongs to the pheasant family, Phasianidae. These spurfowl are endemic to India. There are three subspecies of these spurfowl and all of them occur in India.
G. s. caurina occurs in Aravalli Hills, in Rajasthan State in northeast India. G. s. spadicea is found in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. G. s. stewarti occurs in Kerala State of India.

These spurfowl are about 37 cm long and weigh between 250 to 450 grams. They are reddish brown in color and the males are larger than the females. Their upper body is darker in color with dark barring. The face and neck of the male bird is grayish.

Both the male and female birds have a red facial skin patch. The legs are red and male birds have one or two spurs. The long feathers of the crown can be erected into a crest.
Spurfowl inhabit dry or moist, hilly Indian scrub jungles with thick undergrowth. When threatened red spurfowl scurry for cover between the undergrowth. They rarely take to flight. The G. spadicea roost in trees. These Indian G. spadicea species feed on seeds, berries, fruits, mollusks and insects. Red spurfowl forage in small groups of two to five birds.

The breeding season lasts between January to June, before rains. They nest on the ground. The male birds are monogamous and the females incubate the eggs. Both the parent birds take part in raising chicks.